Western Digital Introduces Modular, Lightning-Fast Solutions Inspired by Creators

What's Next Western Digital Event – Western Digital Corp. (NASDAQ: WDC) revealed new innovations from its SanDisk® and SanDisk Professional brands, including a modular SSD ecosystem and the world's fastest UHS-I SD™ and microSD™ memory cards, designed to empower professionals and creators around the world. Whether in the studio creating the next big picture or out in the field capturing footage for a project, the company's new solutions are centered on delivering high-performance, scalable, and reliable solutions that enable today's creators to actualize their aspirations.

"The SanDisk Professional brand delivers storage solutions for those who have something to say," said Jim Welsh, senior vice president, Consumer Solutions, Western Digital. "We are excited to build upon the momentum since the brand's launch this time last year and add to our already robust portfolio of offerings. From the inception of the idea to its final manifestation, creative professionals can count on our innovations to capture and preserve the content that means everything to them."

Western Digital today announced an innovative, premium storage solution: the SanDisk Professional PRO-BLADE™ Modular SSD Ecosystem. Designed to meet the need for multiple, super-fast portable storage devices to quickly ingest, edit, and copy large volumes of high-resolution content, the powerful PRO-BLADE ecosystem lets users easily swap out lightweight, high-capacity PRO-BLADE SSD mags so they can carry terabytes of storage without excess bulk. The exceptionally versatile PRO-BLADE modular SSD ecosystem is built to transform the entire workflow with scalable capacity and time-saving convenience on location and back in the studio.

"As a filmmaker, I spend a lot of time on location shooting. While my primary focus is producing engaging stories, I also spend a lot of time looking for ways to streamline my production workflow, especially when it comes to data storage and transfer speeds. With the SanDisk Professional portfolio, I have a technology partner that designs products for all my production workflows, and deeply understands the needs of today's filmmaker," said Michael Coleman, SanDisk Professional PRO-TEAM ambassador and award-winning director and cinematographer.

The SanDisk Professional PRO-BLADE Modular SSD Ecosystem features:

• PRO-BLADE SSD Mag – A versatile NVMe™ SSD mag that powers the ultimate modular SSD ecosystem. The PRO-BLADE SSD mag allows users to scale the storage they need in an instant whether in the studio or on location. By loading the PRO-BLADE SSD mag into the portable PRO-BLADE TRANSPORT enclosure users can create a powerful portable SSD. When loading up to four SSD mags into the super-fast PRO-BLADE STATION desktop enclosure, users can build their most versatile media workflow yet. The PRO-BLADE SSD mag is ready for any location, delivering up to 3m drop and 4,000lbs crush resistance for on-the-go reliability. The PRO-BLADE SSD mag is offered in 1TB ($179.99 U.S. MSRP), 2TB ($289.99 U.S. MSRP) and 4TB ($599.99 U.S. MSRP) and is expected to begin shipping in in June 2022.¹

• PRO-BLADE TRANSPORT portable SSD enclosure – A premium portable and modular SSD for ultra-fast workflow scalability. Pair multiple, lightweight PRO-BLADE SSD mags with the PRO-BLADE TRANSPORT portable USB-C™ (20Gbps) enclosure for up to 2000MB/s read and write speeds.² The PRO-BLADE TRANSPORT device enables people to easily swap out PRO-BLADE SSD mags so they can carry terabytes of storage without excess bulk. Attach a PRO-BLADE TRANSPORT enclosure to a USB-C compatible camera rig for high-res recording directly on to the loaded PRO-BLADE SSD mag. Simply swap between SSD mags to keep rolling without interruption. The PRO-BLADE TRANSPORT portable SSD enclosure will be available in 0TB ($69.99 U.S. MSRP), 1TB ($239.99 U.S. MSRP), 2TB ($359.99 U.S. MSRP) and 4TB ($659.99 U.S. MSRP) and is expected to begin shipping in June 2022.¹

• PRO-BLADE STATION desktop SSD enclosure – Optimized for professionals looking for the fastest way to ingest, copy, and edit their content, the PRO-BLADE STATION desktop system lets pros load up to four PRO-BLADE SSD mags at once creating a powerhouse Thunderbolt™ SSD device. The desktop SSD enclosure utilizes a Thunderbolt 3 (40Gbps) interface so they can load and swap up to four high-capacity PRO-BLADE SSD mags at once for simultaneous offloading, real-time 4K/8K/12K editing, and super-fast copies. The PRO-BLADE STATION allows pros to take on their most demanding workloads yet with an exceptionally modular and scalable SSD workstation that empowers creativity. The PRO-BLADE STATION desktop SSD enclosure will be available late 2022 in the United States with pricing to be announced closer to product availability.

Find the PRO-BLADE Modular SSD Ecosystem products at select retailers and the Western Digital Store.

Continuing a legacy of innovation
At today's event, Western Digital also announced that it has once again achieved record-breaking UHS-I read speeds – now up to 200MB/s³ – on its SanDisk Extreme PRO® -class memory card line, making them the fastest UHS-I SD and microSD memory cards in the world. The SanDisk Extreme PRO cards reach this unprecedented speed by leveraging Western Digital's proprietary SanDisk® QuickFlow™ technology. Paired with the new SanDisk Professional PRO-READER SD & microSD device, the cards deliver unmatched speeds that enable creatives to offload their content quickly with timesaving, labor-saving efficiency. The new SanDisk Extreme PRO UHS-I SD and microSD cards are expected to ship in early June 2022.  The SanDisk Extreme PRO UHS-I SD card pricing ranges from 64GB ($18.79 U.S. MSRP) up to 1TB ($279.99 U.S. MSRP), and the SanDisk Extreme PRO UHS-I microSD card 64GB ($19.99) and 1TB ($329.99) from the Western Digital Store in the U.S. and may vary by retailer. The SanDisk Professional PRO-READER SD & microSD device is expected to ship in June 2022 for $49.99 U.S. MSRP.

For more information on the SanDisk Professional portfolio of solutions, please visit SanDiskProfessional.com or connect with us on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and YouTube. For more information on the SanDisk portfolio of solutions, please visit SanDisk.com or connect with us on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and YouTube.

Resources

• Blog: What's Next: Western Digital Unveils Its Mission to Unlock the Potential of Data

• Media Kit: What's Next: SanDisk and SanDisk Professional Media Kit

About Western Digital
Western Digital is on a mission to unlock the potential of data by harnessing the possibility to use it. With Flash and HDD franchises, underpinned by advancements in memory technologies, we create breakthrough innovations and powerful data storage solutions that enable the world to actualize its aspirations. Core to our values, we recognize the urgency to combat climate change and have committed to ambitious carbon reduction goals approved by the Science Based Targets initiative. Learn more about Western Digital and the Western Digital®, SanDisk® and WD® brands at www.westerndigital.com.

¹One terabyte (TB) is equal to one trillion bytes. Actual user capacity may vary depending on operating environment.
²1 MB/s = 1 million bytes per second. Based on internal testing; performance may vary depending upon host device, usage conditions, drive capacity, and other factors.
³1 MB/s = 1 million bytes per second. Engineered with proprietary technology to reach speeds beyond UHS-I 104MB/s, require compatible devices capable of reaching such speeds. Based on internal testing; performance may vary depending upon host device, usage conditions, drive capacity, and other factors.

© 2022 Western Digital Corporation or its affiliates. All rights reserved.

Western Digital, the Western Digital design, the Western Digital logo, SanDisk, the SanDisk design, the SanDisk logo, SanDisk Professional, the SanDisk Professional logo, PRO-BLADE, SanDisk Extreme PRO, and SanDisk QuickFlow are registered trademarks or trademarks of Western Digital Corporation or its affiliates in the U.S. and/or other countries. The microSD and SD marks and logos are trademarks of SD-3D, LLC. The NVMe word mark is a trademark of NVM Express, Inc. USB-C is a registered trademark of USB Implementers Forum. Thunderbolt and the Thunderbolt logo are trademarks of Intel Corporation or its subsidiaries in the U.S. and/or other countries. All other marks are the property of their respective owners. Product specifications subject to change without notice. Pictures shown may vary from actual products. Not all products will be available in all regions of the world.

Western Digital Technologies, Inc. is the seller of record and licensee in the Americas of SanDisk® products.